The following is the second part of a draft document which will be discussed at the World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency this summer. The main aim of this document is to define the main economic, social and political trends in the world today and to develop a perspective for the class struggle in the next period. The document was originally drafted in October 2015.

The following is the first part of a draft document which will be discussed at the World Congress of the International Marxist Tendency this summer. The main aim of this document is to define the main economic, social and political trends in the world today and to develop a perspective for the class struggle in the next period. The document was originally drafted in October 2015.

Interest in socialism has risen dramatically in recent months, as millions of people, especially the youth, are questioning the current system. However, socialism doesn't appear out of nowhere. To overthrow capitalism requires the actions of the organized working class, guided by the ideas of Marxism. The International Marxist Tendency is working to build an organization to prepare for the events to come and to connect with all of those interested in socialism. We are serious about the task ahead of us, and have made the decision to rent an office in New York City, the finance and media capital of the world. This will be a centralized location from which we can coordinate our work locally, nationally, and internationally, as well as expand our bookstore selections and MarxistBooks.com, and to host meetings to discuss ideas and perspectives for the class struggle. We have no rich donors or backer and are funded entirely by our members and supporters. This financial independence guarantees our political independence. But we still live under capitalism and New York City is not inexpensive. We need all the support we can get to make this a reality!

This year, 110 participants came together in what was the largest attendance the School has ever seen. Comrades from Switzerland, the USA, France, and Italy joined with the Canadian comrades for this enriching weekend of political discussions. In addition to this, a record number of new people registered for the school and attended the presentations. This historic turnout demonstrates that Marxist ideas are more relevant than ever and that people are looking for a solution to the endless crisis of capitalism.

The Washington Post recently reported that the richest 20% of Americans collect 51% of the national income and own 73% of the net worth (real estate, money stocks and bonds minus what is owed in loans, debt, etc.). That means the bottom 80% get less than half of the income and only 27% of the net worth. As the old song says, they got the gold mine and we got the shaft!